International Sustainability Science Symposium“Transdisciplinarity and Human Well-Being: Putting SDGs into Reality”
Dr. Kazuhiko TAKEUCHIDirector and Professor, Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science(IR3S),
The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study (UTIAS)
Senior Visiting Professor, United Nations University Institute for the
Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS)
Sustainability Science in Higher Education
20 September 2016, Padjadjaran University
The Progress and Development of Sustainability Science
Systems perspective: links natural and social systems
From complex thinking totransformational change
Transdisciplinary focus, solution-oriented transformative research
Co-design and co-creation of knowledge, promotes partnerships and collaborative action
Need for education and capacity development for global sustainability
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Sustainability Science Journal
Nu
mb
er
of
Pap
ers
Year
Increasing Number of Academic Paperson Sustainability Science
(Kajikawa, Y. et al. 2014, modified) 3
#1 Agriculture
#2 Fisheries
#3 Ecological
Economics
#4 Forestry (Agroforestry)
#5 Forestry
(Tropical Rain
Forest)
#6 Business
#7 Tourism#8 Water
#9 Forestry
(Biodiversity)
#10 Urban Planning
#11 Rural Sociology
#12 Energy
#13 Health
#14 Soil
#15 Wildlife
Academic Landscape of Sustainability Research 2007 (29,391 papers)
#3 Fishery &
Forestry Systems
#2 Economy &
Business Systems
#4 Energy Systems
#6 Health
#1 Environmental
Systems
#8 Competitive
Advantage of
Firms
#14 Governmental Debt
& Fiscal Policy
#13 Education & Sustainable
Human Development
#5 Water
Resources
#7 Urban &
Transport
Systems
Academic Landscape of Sustainability Research 2013 (89,908 papers)
Academic Landscape of Sustainability Research 2000 (14,118 papers)
#1 Sustainable
Development
#2 Agriculture
#3 Fishery
#4 Tourism
#5 Forestry
(Tropical
Rain Forest)
#7 Forestry
(Biodiversity)
#6 Business
#8 Energy
#3 Energy Systems
#4 Fishery & Forestry
Systems
#6 Transportation
System
#1 Environmental Systems #8 Governmental Debt & Fiscal Policy
#5 Health System
#7 Social Infrastructure &
Recycling Systems
#9 Soil & Water
#10 Wetlands
#11 Livestock
#12 Education#
#13 Medicine in Rural Area
#14 Plant
#15 Pastoralism
Academic Landscape of Sustainability Research 2015 (135,356 papers)
#2 Economy &
Business Systems
Trend of Sustainability Research
(Kajikawa, Y. et al. 2014, modified)4
#3 Energy Systems
#2 Economy &
Business Systems
#4 Fishery & Forestry
Systems
#6 Transportation System
#1 Environmental Systems #8 Governmental Debt & Fiscal Policy
#5 Health System
#7 Social Infrastructure &
Recycling Systems
#9 Soil & Water
#10 Wetlands
#11 Livestock
#12 Education#
#13 Medicine in Rural Area
#14 Plant
#15 Pastoralism
Academic Landscape of Sustainability Research, 2015(135,356 papers)
87,898 nodes, 345,988 links, yearavg= 2009.5
19,925 (2009.3)
17,723 (2009.3)
17,384 (2011.1)
10,717 (2007.9)
8,668 (2009.3)
(Kajikawa, Y. unpublished)
Sustainability and Resilience: Complementary Concepts
Sustainability is a “normative goal”, while resilience is the “capacity” of a system to absorb disturbances.
The concept of resilience includes not only the capacity to recover from disturbances, but also the capacity to adapt to a new situation.
As concepts, sustainability and resilience complement each other. Defining their relationship is important for beneficial societal progress.
By considering the capacity of transformations, each of which have various optional interventions, resilience will be better linked with sustainability.
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(Elmqvist,T. et al., submitted)
Ecological System Social System
Closed and coupledsocial-ecological system
Open and decoupled systems
Toward multi-level governance: Cross-scale, connected and coupled social-ecological system
Ecosystem services
Natural resource management
Materials Humans
Past
Future
Changing Relationships between People and Nature
Present
i.e., Intensification of monoculture i.e., Migration to urban areas
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(Takeuchi et al., 2016)
Multi-level Nested Governance of Natural Capital
Local collaborations(bottom-up)
Local communities
NPOs
Multi-level governance of natural capital
Stake-holder
It is necessary to create mechanisms for collaborative management in order to avoid degradation of natural capital as stock, and to promote sustainable provision of ecosystem services.
It is necessary to explore new governance structures, or “new commons” whereby various stakeholders engage in horizontal cooperation.
It would be effective to build multi-level and nested governance structures that value bottom-up activities at the local level while connecting with global networks.
Global/ Regional/ National
Local
Multi-level nested
collaborative governance
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Mechanism for cooperative management of natural capital based on nested collaboration between different stakeholders
Local gov’t Universities
Government initiatives(top-down)
UN
Regionalcommunities
Multinational companies
Stake-holder
Nations
Aid agencies
Farmers, foresters,
fishers
Stake-holder
Urban residents
Stake-holder
Co-ops
Stake-holder
Stake-holder
Small enterprises
Stake-holder
Stake-holder
Int’lNGOs
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[Features] Cultivate many varieties in
small quantities Use of diverse ecosystem
services High biodiversity Ensuring multiple options
to respond to various shocks and disturbances
Predominance of small farmers
[Issues (Variable factors)] Climate/ecosystem change Urbanization and
population outflow Increase scale,
commercialization, and monoculture of farming
International market pressure
Passing on traditional knowledge to next generation
Traditional Home Garden Systems in Rural Asia
Addressing climate and ecosystem change Diversity of cultivation, from traditional varieties
to varieties resistant to environmental change Improve material cycling within households and
settlements, through mixed production systemscombining agroforestry, aquaculture ponds, and livestock
Improve soil erosion and rainwater catchmentusing community-pooled labor
Addressing socio-economic changes Sell high value-added products to the
international market by acquiring international certification
Offer incentives to small-scale farmers by paying for ecosystem services and introducing a system for purchasing local products
The above options make it possible to sustain the high resilience of traditional systems in any kind of home garden system, as well as to adapt to socio-economic changes, thereby improving overall resilience.
Kandyan home garden in Sri Lanka
Pekarangan in Indonesia
Options to enhance resilienceCommon features and issues Typical arrangement
Mohri et al. (2013) Ecosystem Services, 5: 124-136.
VAC system in Vietnam
Bio-Production Systems in Harmony with Biodiversity
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Sengon (Albizia chinensis)
Modern bio-production
HTI (Hutan Tanaman Industry) Commercial reforestation
Kayu Putih (Melaleuca leucadendron)
Traditional bio-production
Pekarangan Teak planting by residents, mainly in pekarangan (in woods around their homes)
Soil erosion/agrochemicals/excess fertilizer
Putting a premium on certified materials, expanding sales channels, regulating the use of agrochemicals on seedlings, protect forests of high conservation value, contribute to biodiversity conservation
Forest Certification System (FSC)
Managed as shrubs to press oil from branches and leaves.External output is high. Disease-pest damage.
Pekarangan, expansion of teak plantations(2000–2010)
Acquired group certification for a small teak forest in 2012Certified area: 330.5 haTotal of 96 groups of farmers in the alliancePrice of certified material: 30% higher
A huge tree said to be 300 years old
Example of Gunung Kidul, Indonesia
Encourage farming between forests(agroforestry)
New forest land since 2000(Was not forest in 2000 but was forest in 2010)
Reduction in forest land from 2000 to 2010
Forest land since 2000(Was forest in 2000 and still forest in 2010)
High biodiversity features Diversity of plants (49 types) Variety of biota (10 species of
mammals, 30 species of birds, 15 species of amphibians)
Role of pekarangans Community use Trees can be cut to sell high-
priced materials such as teak and mahogany when needed to cover expenses of healthcare, education, disaster recovery (saving function)
Pekarangans are traditional home gardens that protect against various kinds of shock
Pekarangans also protect against socio-economic changes
Biodiversity conservation by means of agroforestry and forest certification, while enhancing protection against socio-economic changes by commercial reforestation (correction of excessive focus on efficiency and economics)
Increasing resilience by combining the two
FSC-certified forest
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Goal1 End poverty in all its forms everywhere
11.b
by 2030 build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations, and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters
Goal2 End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
2.4 by 2030 ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters, and that progressively improve land and soil quality
Goal9 Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
9.1 develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and trans-border infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all
Goal11 Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
target 1.5
by 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters, develop and implement in line with the forthcoming Hyogo Framework holistic disaster risk management at all levels
11.c support least developed countries, including through financial and technical assistance, for sustainable and resilientbuildings utilizing local materials
Goal13 Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
13.1 strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate related hazards and natural disasters in all countries
Goal14 Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
14.2 by 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration, to achieve healthy and productive oceans
9.a facilitate sustainable and resilient infrastructure development in developing countries through enhanced financial, technological and technical support to African countries, LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS
Resilience in the SDGs
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Future Earth Strategic Research Agenda 2014
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Joint Framing
Research Definition
Implementation
Scientific Integration
Relevance
Dissemination of Results
A Dynamic Planeta1 Observing and attributing change a2 Understanding processes, interactions, risks and thresholdsa3 Exploring and predicting futures
B Global Sustainable Developmentb1 Meeting basic needs and overcoming inequalitiesb2 Governing sustainable development b3 Managing growth, synergies and trade-offs
C Transformations towards Sustainabilityc1 Understanding and evaluating transformationsc2 Identifying and promoting sustainable behavioursc3 Transforming development pathways
Future Earth. 2014. Future Earth Strategic Research Agenda 2014. Paris: International Council for Science (ICSU).
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Transdisciplinarity is Key to Scientific Contribution
Transdisciplinarity
Natural Science
Social Science
Engineering Practicestakeholders
Tress et al. 2005 Landscape Ecology 20: 479-493
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Graduate Program in Sustainability Science (GPSS)
Postgraduate programmes in Sustainability Science, master’s and doctoral degrees, have been launched mainly by universities in Europe, North America and Asia
After the establishment of IR3S, teaching of Sustainability Science in Japan has been led by IR3S’s partner universities
GPSS was established in the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences of The University of Tokyo in 2007
GPSS developed into the Graduate Program in Sustainability Science Global Leadership Initiative (GPSS-GLI) in 2011
A Joint Diploma Program with the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS) was launched in 2013
GPSS-GLI Curriculum
Class in the disaster affected area15
GPSS Global Leadership Initiative
ResilientFlexibility in process governance that enables both long-term risks (e.g. climate change) and short-term risks (e.g. natural disasters) to be addressed concurrently
TransboundaryComparative approach from a global perspective bringing diverse peoples together to jointly address environmental and social issues
Threefold Approaches to Sustainability Science
In-depth understanding and a broad, overarching perspective on the human-nature systems as well as its dynamicsHolistic
Global leadership to promote sustainability
Graduate Program inSustainability Science
(GPSS)
Environmental StudiesBiosciences Trans-
disciplinary
Sciences
Core Unit: Graduate School of Frontier Sciences-led implementation framework
Biological/genetic diversity
Energy,environmental materials
Collaborative Unit: University-wide integrated education-
research frameworkIntegrated Research System
for Sustainability Science (IR3S)
Graduate
School of
Engineering
Graduate
School of
Medicine
Atmosphere
and Ocean
Research
Institute
Graduate School
of Agricultural and
Life Sciences
Urban environmental
systems
Sustainable use of bio-resources Health risks
Recovery supportMarine resource
habitat protection
Integrated Organizational Framework
Overseas & Recovery Seminars, Internships, Social Partnerships: Full utilization of domestic and international network
Future CenterUnited Nations Global
CompactJICA, ADB
International Network for Sustainability Science
United Nations
University (UNU)
AORI International
Coastal Research
Center (Otsuchi)
United Nations UniversityInstitute for the Advanced Study of
Sustainability (UNU-IAS)
UNU-IAS is a leading research and teaching institute based in Tokyo, Japan. Its mission is to advance efforts towards a more sustainable future, through policy-oriented research and capacity development focused on sustainability and its social, economic and environmental dimension. UNU-IAS serves international community through innovative contributions to high-level policymaking and debates, addressing priority issues for the UN System.
Three Thematic Areas of Research Activities
Sustainable Societies Natural Capital & Biodiversity Global Change & Resilience
Through postgraduate teaching UNU-IAS develops international leaders with the
interdisciplinary understanding and technical skills needed to advance creative
solutions to problems of sustainability
GLTP
Postgraduate Degree Programme
Postgraduate Degree Programmes
Master of Science in Sustainability Duration: 2 years
Credit Requirement: Minimum 30 credits
PhD in Sustainability Science Duration: 3 years
Credit Requirement: Minimum 14 credits
CoursesA. Intensive Core Courses 4 week of intensive courses that provide board knowledge on sustainability B. Research Seminars and competency courses Provide necessary skills to conduct research and develop thesis of high quality C. Elective Courses Specialization of the knowledge
グローバル人材育成事業
Postgraduate Degree ProgrammesDetails
Advantages All lectures are in English. A diverse faculty comprises both UNU-IAS academic staff and guest lecturers from
other leading academic institutions and international organizations. UNU-IAS offers the unique learning environment of a global university within the UN
system, with access to leading scholars and practitioners, as well as international events.
Collaboration with leading universities in Japan Students are encouraged to take a joint diploma offered by UNU-IAS and the University
of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Frontier Sciences. Credits of some courses are transferable with partner universities in Japan.
2016 Autumn Semester
1 Sept. 2016 – 10 March 2017
Winter Break 23 Dec. 2016 – 3 Jan. 2017
Spring Break 11 March 2017
– 2 April 2017
2017 Spring Semester 3 April 2017 – 14 July 2017
Academic Calendar
What is Global Leadership in Sustainability Science Education?
A clear view of the complexity and severity of global issues, while having a positive outlook for the future
A comprehensive perspective on the complex relationships between humans and nature as a social ecological system
The ability to integrate the findings of specialized research to formulate solutions to complex problems
The ability to coordinate and integrate the opinions of different stakeholders
Strong leadership in prompting transformations towards sustainable societies in the international community
Class at Kashiwa campus, The University of Tokyo
Class at UNU21
Name: Ruby MENSAH
Country: Ghana
Degree: MSc Sustainability
Research: Land Use Change Effect on Plant
Biodiversity
Year of Completion: 2015
Name: Priscilla Toloo APRONTI
Country: Ghana
Degree: MSc Sustainability
Research: Education for Disaster Risk Reduction
(DRR
Year of Completion: 2015
Name: John Boakye Danquah
Country: Ghana
Degree: MSc Sustainability and Peace
Research: Farm Management Practices and
Agricultural Land Use on Soil Organic Carbon
Storage Potential
Year of Completion: 2013
Name: Yaw Agyeman BOAFO
Country: Ghana
Degree: PhD Sustainability Science
Research : Community-based ecosystem services
assessment
Year of Completion: 2015
Name: Serah Yaba TRAORE
Country: Burkina Faso
Degree: MSc Sustainability
Research: Food waste potential for composting
Year of Completion: 2016
Name: Godfred Seidu JASAW
Country: Ghana
Degree: PhD Sustainability Science
Research: Sustainability of material flows in shea
production
Year of Completion: 2016
Name: Nsioh Macnight NGWESE
Country: Cameroon
Research: Traditional practices/knowledge for coping
with disasters
Expected Year of Completion: 2017
Name: Yasuko KUSAKARI
Country: Japan
Degree: PhD Sustainability Science
Research: Community-based capacity assessment in
Ghana and Malawi
Expected Year of Completion: 2017
United Nations University & The University of Tokyo
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Master and PhD Students involved in Ghana Project
Education for Sustainable Development in Africa (ESDA)
Postgraduate education programmes have been developed in partnership with UNU and other universities in Japan and Africa
The University of Ghana and the University of Ibadan (Nigeria) are leading development of a programme on “Sustainable Integrated Rural Development (SIRD) “
The University of Nairobi and Kenyatta University (Kenya) are leading development of a programme on “Sustainable Urban Development (SUD)”
The University of Cape Town (South Africa) and the University of Zambia are leading development of a programme on “Management of Mineral Resources(MMR)”
UNU is the focal point to promote global personnel exchange, as the ESDA consortium secretariat
ESDA meeting (Cape Town)
Work placements
focused on reducing
urban poverty
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